somatostatin
noun
so·mato·stat·in
sō-ˌma-tə-ˈsta-tᵊn 
: a polypeptide neurohormone that is found especially in the hypothalamus and inhibits the secretion of several other hormones (such as growth hormone, insulin, and gastrin)
Examples of somatostatin in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
These peptides specifically bind to target receptors on cancer cells — PSMA in the case of prostate cancer, and somatostatin receptors in the case of Lutathera — and deliver radiation through the decay of unstable lutetium.
—
Discover Magazine, 8 July 2024
These peptides specifically bind to target receptors on cancer cells—PSMA in the case of prostate cancer and somatostatin receptors in the case of Lutathera—and deliver radiation through the decay of unstable lutetium.
—Elie Dolgin, Ars Technica, 21 June 2024
The researcher studied the pituitary gland under the late Wylie Vale at Salk which was home to Roger Guillemin, who won a Nobel Prize in 1977 for discoveries that led to research on brain hormones such as somatostatin.
—Paul Sisson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Sep. 2023
Two other hormones also play a role in regulating blood sugar — somatostatin and glucagon — and little was known then about how they are produced.
—Gina Kolata, New York Times, 17 Aug. 2023
Relatively high levels of the appetite-stimulating hormone could increase the sensitivity of tuberal somatostatin activity, although other genetic variations could also play a role.
—Holly Barker, Discover Magazine, 23 Sep. 2021
That’s thanks to elevated levels of a hunger hormone called ghrelin, which partially activates tuberal somatostatin neurons, explains lead study author Yu Fu.
—Holly Barker, Discover Magazine, 23 Sep. 2021
Within a year of conquering somatostatin in 1977, Riggs’s group did the same with human insulin.
—Jerome Groopman, The New York Review of Books, 21 Sep. 2022
Among its functions, somatostatin inhibits production of insulin and growth hormone, and slows digestion.
—San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 June 2019
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Discover Magazine, 8 July 2024
These peptides specifically bind to target receptors on cancer cells—PSMA in the case of prostate cancer and somatostatin receptors in the case of Lutathera—and deliver radiation through the decay of unstable lutetium.
—Elie Dolgin, Ars Technica, 21 June 2024
The researcher studied the pituitary gland under the late Wylie Vale at Salk which was home to Roger Guillemin, who won a Nobel Prize in 1977 for discoveries that led to research on brain hormones such as somatostatin.
—Paul Sisson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Sep. 2023
Two other hormones also play a role in regulating blood sugar — somatostatin and glucagon — and little was known then about how they are produced.
—Gina Kolata, New York Times, 17 Aug. 2023
Relatively high levels of the appetite-stimulating hormone could increase the sensitivity of tuberal somatostatin activity, although other genetic variations could also play a role.
—Holly Barker, Discover Magazine, 23 Sep. 2021
That’s thanks to elevated levels of a hunger hormone called ghrelin, which partially activates tuberal somatostatin neurons, explains lead study author Yu Fu.
—Holly Barker, Discover Magazine, 23 Sep. 2021
Within a year of conquering somatostatin in 1977, Riggs’s group did the same with human insulin.
—Jerome Groopman, The New York Review of Books, 21 Sep. 2022
Among its functions, somatostatin inhibits production of insulin and growth hormone, and slows digestion.
—San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 June 2019
Cite this Entry
“Somatostatin.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/somatostatin. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
somatostatin
noun
so·mato·stat·in
sō-ˌmat-ə-ˈstat-ᵊn
: a polypeptide neurohormone that is found especially in the hypothalamus, is composed of a chain of 14 amino acid residues, and inhibits the secretion of several other hormones (as growth hormone, insulin, and gastrin)
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